News

A new three-race sponsorship package with Monster® will enable current NASCAR Busch Series points leader Todd Bodine to continue his championship run and defend his Kentucky Speedway title in the June 14 "Meijer 300 Presented by Oreo."

Monster® is the leading global online careers property and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST). Bodine will race under the Monster® banner this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, next week at Kentucky Speedway and the following week at The Milwaukee Mile.

"We welcome Monster's sponsorship and look forward to working with them in this new marketing partnership," said team co-owner Randy Herzog. "Todd Bodine is going into these races in first-place, and we look forward to pushing the No. 92 Chevrolet Monte Carlo toward continued top finishes and a defense our 2002 Kentucky win. We hope this will be a great experience for Monster and look forward to providing them a positive return and feedback for their brand."

Bodine, a 12-year series veteran, and Herzog-Jackson Motorsports have kept the No. 92 Chevrolet in the top three in the series points standings for 13 weeks despite racing the first nine events of the season without a sponsor. The No. 92 competed in the past four races under the sponsorship banner of Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a U.S. Defense Department agency that promotes cooperation and understanding between military reserve members and their civilian employers.

The driver has led the NASCAR Busch Series standings for a total of eight weeks this season after posting a win at Darlington and a total of six top-five and nine top-10 finishes. He also is competing full-time on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series circuit, where he owns a season-best 11th-place finish in the No. 54 National Guard Ford. Bodine will split time between Kentucky Speedway and Michigan International Speedway during the June 13-14 weekend.

Bodine finished 34th in the NASCAR Busch Series standings last season after engineering one win and a total of six top-five and nine top-10 finishes. The win came in dramatic fashion at Kentucky when he beat Greg Biffle and the No. 60 Grainger Ford to the finish line by .036 of a second. The performance marked the second-closest margin of victory in Kentucky Speedway history and the second time in his Busch Series career that Bodine won a race with a margin of victory of less than one second.

"This is super news. Todd's an outstanding competitor, and I'm glad to hear he will do double duty during our weekend to defend his title at Kentucky," Kentucky Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Mark F. Cassis said. "Todd's presence as our defending champion adds yet another bonus to this event, which is on track to sell out for the third straight year."

"The Meijer 300 Presented by Oreo" is expected to be the largest attended sporting event in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky for the third straight year. The event has drawn crowds that have exceeded the 66,089-seat capacity at Kentucky Speedway in both 2002 and 2001.The green flag is set to drop at 8:00 p.m. and the race will be televised live nationally on the FX Network.

Race action gets under way on Friday, June 13, with "The Lexington Herald-Leader Pole Night" featuring NASCAR Busch Series qualifying and the NASCAR Kodak Southeast Series "Kentucky 150" race. Tickets for both evenings are still available. Visit www.kentuckyspeedway.com for complete ticket and event schedule information.